Top Tip: Use Trouser Hangers to Hang your PDF Patterns

I have a love hate relationship with PDF Patterns. I love the fact that you can download them in an instant without having to wait for the post. They are cheaper than print patterns. In fact there are many that are free to download! Whoop! If you mess them up in some way, you can just print a new one. They allow indie pattern designers to get their designs out there without the huge investment of time and money that a printed pattern line would entail. And I’m all for indie pattern designers.

On the downside, they are time consuming and often fiddly to put together AND they don’t come with a pattern envelope to keep everything neatly stored together. Add to that that pdf patterns are printed on normal printer paper and well, they don’t fold up that great either. Pressing creases out of printer paper is not as easy as pressing a tissue pattern, amirght?! This is how I store my pdf patterns….

Good old trouser hangers. I can keep the pattern pieces all together. The instruction pages clip in there too. The pieces are easy to find , and there are no folds to press. That means I can get to the sewing part quicker because I haven’t got to faff with pressing my patterns flat every time I want to use them. Getting to the sewing part quicker always makes me happy!

Do you use PDF patterns? Love em or hate em? And how do you store yours? Please share!